Bittersweet Dare
by Tanja the Bat
Summary: After being transfered to the PPG's school, Brick starts acting strange after meeting up with Blossom for the first time in years. And Boomer and Butch dare Brick to ask Blossom out on a date. What will happen? Rated for safety. Chap. 7 updated. Complete!
1. New Students

"Buttercup!" Blossom yelled from the bottom of the stairs. "Get down here! We're gonna be late for school!"

"I'm coming!" Buttercup snarled from her room as she stuffed her books into her backpack. "Stop being such a nag!"

"Hey, Blossom, how do I look?" Bubbles asked as she floated down the stairs. Bubbles had her blond hair up in normal pigtails, and she was wearing a baby blue t-shirt with a darker blue skirt.

"You look fine, Bubbles," said Blossom. "I mean, you don't any different from any other sixteen-year-old girl."

"Aw, I wanted to look unique," Bubbles sighed, her bright blue eyes looking disappointed.

Blossom smiled. "Relax, you look fine," she said sincerely.

Suddenly, a green beam zoomed past them and Buttercup landed on the floor by the door. She was wearing a bright green tank top and black jeans. Her jet-black hair hung messily over her green eyes.

"Buttercup! Watch what you're doing!" Blossom snapped as she smoothed out her pink shirt and red hair.

"But didn't you just say we were gonna be late?" Buttercup sneered. "You're just too slow!"

"Why I oughtta—! Blossom growled, her pink eyes glowing.

Buttercup threw the door open, hovering in the air. "Try and catch me, Flower sissy!" she laughed as she took off.

"You get back here!" Blossom hollered, flying out the door after Buttercup.

Bubbles just stood in silence for a minute. She slowly went for the door. "Uh…goodbye, Professor!" she yelled to wherever Professor Utonium was before following her sisters.

"Pink Freak!" Buttercup was yelling.

"Black Head!" Blossom yelled back.

Bubbles caught up, coming in between Blossom and Buttercup. "Stop it!" she ordered. "This isn't how sisters should act towards each other. Besides, we're already here."

Blossom and Buttercup looked up to see that they were in front of Townsville High School. Dozens of students were flowing into the brick building, just like every other day.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Blossom asked, completely forgetting about her and Buttercup's spat. "Let's get going."

The girls flew inside the glass doors. "What's our first class again?" Bubbles asked as they stopped in the hall.

"Biology," said Blossom, looking at her notebook.

"Ugh! I hate biology!" snarled Buttercup. "All we ever talk about is fungus! Who the heck cares!"

"Then why'd you take the class?" Blossom asked.

"The professor wouldn't stop bugging me about it," whined Buttercup. "I only took the class to get him to leave me alone."

"So _that_ explains why your grades in biology have been so bad," said Bubbles.

"Shut up, Bubbles," muttered Buttercup.

"All right, that's enough," said Blossom as she went to the biology classroom's door. "All three of us are in this class until the end of the school year, so there's no point in whining about it."

The girls stepped inside, heading for their desks. They sat for a few minutes along with the other students when a tall man at the head of the room clapped his hands. ""All right, people, settle down," he said. "We have a lot to do this morning. If you would open your textbooks to chapter two so we can begin…"

Blossom and Bubbles opened their books, flipping through the pages. Buttercup did the same, secretly concealing one of her mystery chapter books behind the conveniently large text. She grinned triumphantly as Blossom glared at her.

* * *

"Excuse me," Bubbles said as she tried to squeeze past the many teenagers in the hall. "I need to get through…"

"Excuse us," said Blossom.

The girls were ignored until Buttercup yelled, "HEY! EVERYONE MOVE IT!"

The students instantly moved out of the way, knowing what Buttercup was made of. She and her sisters finally made it to their lockers. Buttercup slammed hers open. "What is with these people?" she growled.

"Calm down, Buttercup," said Bubbles as she rummaged through her locker, which was completely overdone with rainbows and unicorns. "You're always so uptight."

"I saw what you were doing in class, Buttercup," scolded Blossom. "No wonder you've been getting bad grades."

"Aw, c'mon, Blossom. It's the only way I can survive in that class!" said Buttercup.

"That's no excuse," said Blossom. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself."

"Well, excuse me, Miss 'I Love Learning About Fungus'," Buttercup snapped.

"Well, well, well!" said a voice loudly. "Look who's here!"

The girls spun around to find three boys standing behind them.

"Brick!" gasped Blossom.

"Boomer!" shrieked Bubbles.

"Butch!" growled Buttercup.

Brick's red eyes gleamed nastily. "Hey, girls," he sneered. "Long time no see."

"What are _you_ guys doing here?" Blossom demanded.

"Is that anyway to greet your old friends?" jeered Boomer. "It's been years since we've seen each other."

"But I thought you dorks went to The School of Dumb Psychos!" Buttercup said angrily.

"Who're you callin' dorks!" Butch snapped.

"Cool it, Butch," ordered Brick, shoving his brother's shoulder. "We _were_ going to Townville's Intellectual School," he said, answering Buttercup's question. "But we got kicked out 'cause they didn't like Boomer setting off stink bombs in the cafeteria."

Boomer snickered. "Boy, that last one I did was a doozie."

"You guys went to Townville's _Intellectual_ School?" said Buttercup. "What's intellectual about you guys?"

"We'll ignore that comment," snapped Butch.

"Anyway, Mojo Jojo decided to transfer us here," Brick continued. "Never thought we'd run into you geeks."

"Don't you call us names!" snapped Bubbles.

"Chill out, Blondie," said Boomer.

"And don't you tell me what to do, either!" Bubbles snapped again.

Boomer shook his head. "You haven't changed a bit, Bubbles," he said.

"Neither have any of you," growled Blossom. "Just remember, boys, you're in _our_ school now. If you clowns start trying anything funny, you answer to us. Got it?"

The Rowdyruff Boys each did a salute. "Sir, yes, sir!" they chorused sarcastically. They then walked off, roaring with laughter.

"You'd better not try anything!" Blossom hollered after them. "We're watching you!"

"Don't worry, Blossom," Boomer called back. "We'll be sugar, spice, and everything nice, just they way _you_ dopes are! Ha, ha, ha!"

Brick, making sure his brothers didn't notice, quietly glanced back at Blossom, who was completely red in the face.

_Man,_ he thought. _I never once thought that Blossom would become so…pretty…_


	2. Boy Talk

Blossom stood by the school gate, waiting for her sisters to show up. All Blossom wanted to do right about then was to go home, close the door to her bedroom, and scream her lungs out. The Rowdyruff Boys in _their_ school! And Brick in every single class that Blossom was in! It was more than Blossom could stand.

Blossom looked up as Bubbles and Buttercup flew up to the gate. Bubbles looked miserable. Buttercup was completely ticked off.

Blossom sighed. "Let me guess," she said. "Boomer and Butch are in your classes?"

"Yep," moped Bubbles. "You?"

"Same here," muttered Blossom.

"Let's just go home," growled Buttercup.

The girls flew quickly out of the schoolyard before they had any 'visitors'. It wasn't until they got home and shut the door behind them that Buttercup finally erupted. "I can't believe this!" she snarled out. "Why us! Why did this have to happen to _us!_"

"What's wrong, Buttercup?" Blossom asked. "We've faced the RRB's before."

"Yeah, but we didn't face them everyday!" snapped Buttercup. "And now we'll have to! And what's worse, I can't punch out Butch unless I want problems with the principle, _again_."

"Hello, girls," said Professor Utonium as he came into the room. "How was your day?"

"Terrible!" said the girls in unison.

"Oh?" said the professor. "What happened?"

"The Rowdyruff Boys have been transferred to our school," mumbled Blossom.

"Ah, yes, I heard about that from Mojo Jojo," said Prof. Utonium. "So what are the boys like now?"

"What do you mean _now?_" snapped Buttercup. "They're still big jerks!"

"Are you sure?" asked Prof. Utonium. "It _has_ been a few years now. Maybe they've changed."

"Professor, once an enemy, always an enemy," said Blossom firmly. "That's all there is to it."

Prof. Utonium sighed. "All right, girls," he said. "Well, you better go work on your homework. Dinner will be ready soon."

"Yes, professor," said the girls as they flew up the stairs. Before they went into their rooms, Blossom stopped her sisters in the hall. "Look, girls," she said, "I don't like this any better than you do, but we'll have to make the best of it."

"I don't want to have to deal with Boomer," whined Bubbles. "He's so mean!"

"I know. They're _all _mean," said Blossom. "And rather suspicious too."

"We already know that, Blossom," muttered Buttercup.

"No," interrupted Blossom. "I mean _Brick_ is rather suspicious."

"Whaddya mean?" Buttercup asked.

"I noticed that Brick kept staring at me during my classes," said Blossom. "He looked away every time I caught him doing it. He's never done that to me before."

"Gee, that's weird," said Bubbles. "Do you think he's up to something?"

"I'm not sure," said Blossom. "All I know is, I'm gonna be keeping a sharp eye on him."

* * *

The next few days at school, Blossom was true to her word. She kept a good eye on Brick, trying to see what he would do. Unfortunately, she didn't see him try to do anything wrong. In fact, she noticed that he was trying to do the opposite. During lunch one day when she had rescued Bubbles from Boomer and Butch's spitballs, she noticed that Brick was giving his brothers the evil eye the whole time. And she also noticed that Brick was still staring at her during class. Something was up. But Blossom didn't know what.

On Thursday, when school was over, the girls went back home to compare notes, while the boys went back home to Mojo's volcano.

"Man, this rots," mumbled Butch as he collapsed on his beanbag chair in the basement room. "Why do we have to go to school anyway?"

"Ask that dope monkey," answered Boomer as his fingers pounded on his video game controller. "It was his idea. Probably his way of getting us out of his hair."

Butch snorted. Brick said nothing. He was sitting on the worn-out couch, staring off into space.

"How convenient that Mojo shipped us off to the same school that those drippy Powerpuff Girls go to," Butch muttered.

"Yeah!" said Boomer, suddenly laughing. "Bubbles is still such a wimp! Did you see the look on her face when I stuck that frog in her locker?"

Butch laughed too. "Yeah, that was great! I think she might have broken a few windows with that scream!"

"It looked like Buttercup was ready to break _you _rather than a window," said Boomer.

"Not as much as Blossom!" snorted Butch. "Her face actually matched the color of her hair ribbon!"

Brick sucked in his breath, glaring at Butch.

"You know, I think that Blossom should see a doctor," Butch continued, not noticing how angry Brick was looking. "I noticed that her eyes are pink."

"So what?" asked Boomer, looking up from his game.

"So that means she has Pink Eye!" sneered Butch.

Boomer fell over, laughing. Butch followed along, for only a few seconds. A pillow came flying at him, smacking his face.

"Shut up, Butch!" snarled Brick, who had thrown the pillow.

Butch threw the pillow off, staring at Brick. "Hey, man, what was that for!" he demanded.

"Don't talk about Blossom like that," snapped Brick.

"Gee, bro, what's you deal?" Boomer asked.

"Just do me a favor and keep your stupid mouths shut," Brick growled, turning away from his brothers.

Butch just stared at Brick for a minute. A nasty smile soon came to his face. "Hey, Boomer," he said loudly. "You wanna know what I think?"

Boomer looked at Butch with wonder in his dark blue eyes. "What, Butch?" he asked.

Butch looked at Brick. "I think that our dear brother Brick is sweet on Blossom!" he said.

Brick sat up, his eyes burning at Butch. "I thought I told you to shut up!" he snapped.

But Boomer was curious. "What do you mean, Butch?" he asked.

"Haven't you noticed the way that Brick has been acting at school?" Butch said innocently. "He's been acting like a total goody-goody. You wanna know why? It's because he doesn't want to look bad in front of Blossom!"

Brick leaped off the couch and landed on top of Butch in a fury. "Shut your mouth, you idiot!" he snarled. "It's not true!"

"If it's not true, then why are you so mad?" sneered Butch, pushing Brick off. "C'mon, Brick, admit it. You like Blossom!"

"No, I don't!" snapped Brick, lunging at Butch again. "NOW SHUT UP!"

Butch rolled out of the way as Brick went crashing into the wall. Boomer was beginning to catch on to what Butch was talking about. He smiled nastily. "So bad ol' Brick likes Blossom, huh?" he said. "So, bro, when's the wedding?"

Brick glared at Boomer. "Don't start, Boomer," he growled.

Butch and Boomer just looked at Brick. "Why so uptight, Brick?" sneered Butch. "You shouldn't be if you don't like Blossom. And seeing as how you do…"

"Butch, I don't even care about Blossom," Brick snapped.

"Okay, then," said Boomer. "Prove it."

Butch smiled. "Good idea, Boomer," he said, glaring at Brick. "In fact, I'll make it even better."

"How, Butch?" Boomer asked.

Butch whispered something in Boomer's ear. Brick started to sweat when he saw Boomer smile and then nod. Both he and Butch looked at Brick. "Okay, Bricky, here's the deal," said Butch. "Me and Boomer have agreed on it unanimously."

"Agreed on what?" said Brick, looking a little nervous.

Butch grinned evilly. "Brick of the Rowdyruff Boys," he said dramatically, "I dare you to ask Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls out on a date!"


	3. Popping the Question

Blossom opened her locker, placing some of her books inside. It was now a Friday afternoon.

Buttercup yawned. "Man, what a day," she said. "I feel like I've been swarmed by the Roach Coach's insects."

"Eww, don't be disgusting," shivered Bubbles.

"Sorry. That's how I feel," retorted Buttercup.

Blossom smiled. "Take it easy, you two. We're all allowed our opinions," she said to her sisters as she shut her locker. "Come on, let's go home."

The girls flew to the door and out to the schoolyard. They landed on the ground and walked to the gate.

At one end of the gate stood Brick and his brothers. Brick looked completely ill.

Butch smirked. "Well, Bricky?" he said. "What are you waiting for? Blossom's right over there."

Brick glared at Butch. "I'm not doing it," he snarled. "No way, no how, NUH-UH!"

Boomer smirked. "But Brick, you HAVE to do it," he said. "Butch dared you to do so. You can't turn down a dare."

"I'm the oldest and I say I can!" snapped Brick.

"Brick and Blossom sitting in a tree," Butch began to sing out. "K-I-S-S—"

Brick clamped his hand over Butch's mouth. "Shut up!" he hissed. "You want everyone to hear!"

"I'll continue for him," said Boomer. "Unless you get going."

"What's it to you two anyway if I like Blossom, which I don't!" Brick demanded.

"We're your brothers," said Butch sweetly. "It's our job to torment you. Besides, if you don't go through with the dare, we're never gonna let you forget it for the rest of your lousy life."

Brick bit his tongue. He stayed silent for several seconds, which seemed like hours. He looked down and sighed. "All right, all right, I'll do it," he mumbled.

Butch slapped him on the back. "Good goin', bro!" he said.

Brick glared at him as he slowly walked towards the girls. Boomer and Butch followed, snickering. "Go on, Brick," whispered Boomer. "Sweep the twerp off her feet!"

"Shut up, creep" Brick hissed. He then cleared his throat. "Uh, Blossom?"

Blossom looked up, startled. She then glared at Brick. "What do you want?" she asked rather coldly.

Brick's cheeks went a little pink. "Um, could I talk to you for a second?" He looked at Bubbles and Buttercup before adding, "Alone?"

"Anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of us," said Bubbles firmly.

"This has nothing to do with you two," said Boomer. "Our brother has some rather 'urgent business' to take care of."

"Yeah? Like what?" Buttercup challenged.

"Perhaps you didn't hear my little brother," snapped Butch.

"Hold it!" interrupted Blossom. She turned to her sisters. "It's all right, girls," she said quietly. "You go on home without me."

"But Blossom—" Bubbles protested.

"I'll be fine, I promise," said Blossom. "This won't take long anyway."

Bubbles and Buttercup hesitated. "Well, all right," said Bubbles, glaring at Boomer before she went out the gate.

"Kick their sorry butts, Blossom," hissed Buttercup. "But not too much. I want to have my share."

"Whatever you say, Buttercup," smiled Blossom as his sisters flew off. She then looked Brick in the eyes. "Well, what did you want?" she asked again.

Before Brick answered, he glared at Boomer and Butch. "Well, you heard me," he snapped. "I said I wanted to alone. So both of you scram!"

"Sure thing, bro," said Butch, smiling wickedly. "Let's go, Boomer."

Boomer and Butch took off in beams of blue and green light. Brick groaned. He slightly grinned at Blossom. Blossom glared harder at him. "I'm still waiting for an answer," she said. "I don't have all day, you know. And if you try anything foolish—"

"Relax, will ya?' interrupted Brick. "I'm not gonna do anything."

"Just get to the point," said Blossom.

"All right, all right," said Brick, his cheeks now bright red. "What I wanted to talk to you about is…well, it's kinda hard to say…"

"Try," said Blossom.

"Well, uh…" Brick couldn't get the words out. "I've been, uh, thinking about it for a while, ever since I came here. And, uh, I wondering if you would…uh…"

"If I would what?" asked Blossom, a little annoyed.

"I'm getting to that," snapped Brick. Actually, to be honest, he didn't even know HOW to get to it.

"Well, if you're just going to stand here and stutter, I don't want to stick around," said Blossom icily. "I need to get home."

"Look, dummy, don't you get it?" snarled Brick. "I'm trying to ask you to go out with me!"

There was a stunned silence. Blossom stared at Brick like he was some sort of alien. Brick felt like someone had hit him in the head.

"What…did you say?" Blossom croaked when she finally found her voice.

Brick swallowed the lump in his throat. He breathed out hard. "I said, I'm asking you if you would want to go out with me."

There was more silence. Blossom's head was screaming a million things, but none of them made sense. Only one thing was clear: Her worst enemy…was asking her out on a date?

Blossom looked down at the ground. "I…I have to think about it," she said quietly.

She had to get away from there. In a pink beam, she flew away toward home, leaving Brick feeling like he wanted to throw up.


	4. Blossom's Predicament

Bubbles and Buttercup sat in the living room, waiting anxiously for Blossom to return. Bubbles hugged her little octopus doll. "Oooooh," she groaned. "I can't stand it. What's keeping Blossom?"

"All I want to know is what that jerk Brick would want with her," said Buttercup.

"We shouldn't have left her," said Bubbles, starting to cry. "We're terrible sisters!"

"Calm down, Bubbles," said Buttercup. "Blossom can take care of herself, especially when it comes to Brick."

As if on cue, the door opened. Blossom slowly walked in, as if in a trance. Her eyes were full of shock and her face was very pale.

Bubbles leaped up from her seat and crushed Blossom in a large hug. "Blossom, you're back!" she said as though Blossom had been gone for years. "I'm so glad!"

"Well, don't keep us waiting, sis," said Buttercup. "What happened?"

"Yes. What did Brick want?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom felt very sick. She swallowed hard. "He…he wanted to ask me something," she said slowly.

Buttercup put her hands on her hips. "C'mon, Blossom, spit it out," she said. "What did he ask?"

Blossom looked her sisters in the eyes. "He…he…asked me out on a date."

The room was dead silent. Bubbles and Buttercup stared at Blossom. They couldn't have been more shocked if Blossom had told them that Fuzzy Lumpkins had decided to join the military.

"He…asked you…WHAT?" Bubbles squeaked.

Blossom sighed. "He asked me out on a date," she said.

"Are you kidding us?" asked Buttercup.

Blossom shook her head. "Nope," she said quietly.

"And just where did that jerk get the gull to ask you something like that!" demanded Buttercup.

"You didn't say yes, did you?' said Bubbles in horror.

"Of course not," said Blossom looking down at her feet. "I said that I would have to think about it."

"Why didn't you just say no?" said Buttercup.

"He caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting him to ask that," said Blossom, her cheeks going pink. "Actually, I really don't know what happened. "Part of me wanted to say 'absolutely not,' but another part…well…wanted to say yes."

"Blossom, you can't be serious," said Buttercup rather angrily. "Brick doesn't even have the right to ask such a thing! He's your enemy!"

"I know, Buttercup, I know," said Blossom.

"Now wait a minute," said Bubbles. "Ranting isn't going to solve this. Blossom, I think you should go talk to the professor."

Blossom hesitated. "I don't know…" she mumbled. "You think he might know what to do about this?"

"Do about what?" said a voice.

Blossom practically jumped as Prof. Utonium came into the room. "Um, uh, hi, professor," she stuttered.

"Professor, Blossom has a real problem on her hands," said Bubbles. "Do think you can help?"

"Well, I can try," said Prof. Utonium as he sat down. "What's the problem, Blossom?"

Blossom took deep breaths as she told Prof. Utonium about what Brick had said, including all that he had been doing the past week. The professor listened carefully, staying quiet the entire time Blossom spoke. When she finished fifteen minutes later, Prof. Utonium put his finger to his chin. "Hmm. I must say this is quite fascinating. I've never known Brick to do something like this."

Blossom couldn't speak, so Bubbles did it for her. "What should she do, professor?" she asked.

Prof. Utonium smiled a little. "Well, Blossom, I'm going to leave the decision to you. You're old enough to think this through yourself. But if you want my opinion, I think you should go for it," he said.

Blossom looked at him. "You really think so?" she asked.

"Yes. I know that Brick isn't your favorite person in the world, but you never know what might happen," said Prof. Utonium. "He might just be trying to do something nice for a change."

He got up and gave Blossom a hug. "Well, as I said, I'll leave it up to you. Give it some thought, though, all right?"

Blossom nodded slightly. "Well, okay," she said.

The professor nuzzled Blossom's hair before leaving the room. Buttercup then spoke up. "You know, maybe this whole thing is some sort of scam," she said. "What if Brick is just trying to pull a fast one?"

"I don't know, Buttercup," said Bubbles. "I've never known Brick to do anything without his brothers along for the ride. What does this have to do with them?"

"It's gotta be something," insisted Buttercup. "What do you think, Blossom?"

But Blossom had nothing to say. She was already heading up the stairs toward her room in a still silence.

* * *

Brick lay on top of his bed, still feeling sick. He could not believe he had actually caved in on Boomer and Butch! And he was supposed to be the leader!

_Maybe I'll get lucky,_ he thought. _Maybe Blossom will say no. Then those creeps can't say I chickened out._

Another sick feeling struck Brick in the gut. If Blossom ended up saying no, Boomer and Butch would get off his back.

But then, he wouldn't get the chance to know Blossom as a 'non-enemy'.

Brick turned over on his bed, trying to push the tumbling thoughts out of his mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blossom lay on top of her bed, thinking through a lot of things. To accept or not to accept. That was the question.

_Why am I even thinking about this?_ she thought. _Brick is my enemy! I should just say no._

Blossom felt confidant about refusing, for about a few seconds. She slammed her head against the pillow. Why was this so hard? It had never been hard before. Why should it be now?

Blossom began to think. Yes, the Rowdyruff Boys had been her and her sisters' enemies for as long as she could remember. Yes, they were mean. Yes, they had pulled some rotten scams in the past. It shouldn't have been that difficult to say no to Brick, especially after what Buttercup had said. Brick could be pulling a fast one.

But then, then professor's words rang in her head. _He might just be trying to do something nice for a change._

Blossom took a deep breath. She then reached over to her nightstand, picking up the phone. She punch out a few numbers and put the phone to her ear, swallowing hard. "Hello, Mojo?" she said. "It's Blossom. Calm down, you haven't done anything. This has nothing to do with you. I just had a question. Is Brick there?"


	5. It's Official

"Blossom?" Bubbles called out as she knocked on Blossom's bedroom door. "Blossom, are you all right?"

"She's been in there all evening," whispered Buttercup. "What could she be doing?"

Bubbles shrugged, knocking again. "Blossom?"

"Come in," Blossom replied from inside.

Bubbles opened the door. She and Buttercup found Blossom on her bed, her knees brought up to her chin. She seemed to be off in space.

Bubbles approached her, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Blossom, what's the matter? You look pale."

Buttercup looked at Blossom. She noticed that the phone was sitting next to her. "You called Brick, didn't you?" Buttercup said.

Blossom nodded quietly. "I…I said yes," she mumbled. "I said I'd go on a date with him."

Bubbles and Buttercup were quiet. After a few seconds, Bubbles broke the silence. "Well, what did Brick say?" she asked.

"Well, I called him up, I said I'd thought about it and I would go out with him. He said fine, and then hung up on me."

Buttercup snorted. "If I may say so, why would you go out with a jerk like him in the first place?"

Blossom sighed. "I don't know," she admitted. "I guess the professor's advice was fused to my brain. Besides, who knows? Maybe I'll find out what Brick's been up to all week."

"But he hasn't been up to anything," said Bubbles.

"Exactly," said Blossom.

Buttercup sat down. "Well, all right, sis," she said. "I think that you're crazy, but if this is what you're gonna do, Bubbles and I are right behind you."

"You said it," said Bubbles with a grin.

Blossom smiled. She hugged her sisters. "Thanks, girls," she said. "I appreciate it."

"No problem," said Buttercup. "So when's Brickhead coming?"

"I'm not sure," said Blossom. "I think he said he'd come tonight."

"In that case, you better get ready," said Bubbles. "What are you going to wear?"

Blossom looked down at her clothes. "Can't I just go like this?" she asked.

"No way, sis," said Buttercup, grabbing Blossom's hand. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Blossom said.

"To my quarters," said Buttercup.

* * *

Brick leaned against the cool wall as he stood in the shower. The warm water felt good as it rained down on his face. His pushed his wet red hair out of his eyes, which seemed to be blazing redder than ever. It seemed that he was in a mix of embarrassment and anger. He couldn't believe it, but he also felt somewhat happy.

"She said yes," he mumbled. "I can't believe she said yes…"

Just then, a knock came at the bathroom door. Brick sighed. "Who is it?" he snapped.

The door opened and Butch came in. "No one important, Bricky," he said. "Just your dear old brother."

"Go away, Butch," Brick snarled. "I'm not in the mood."

"Cool your jets," said Butch. "I just wanted to know what Blossom said."

Brick swallowed hard. He looked out from the shower curtain at Butch. "What makes you think that she even called?" he challenged.

Butch smirked. "Don't play stupid, Brick. C'mon, spill."

"All right, all right," growled Brick. "She said yes. Happy now?"

"Well, I know Mojo certainly isn't," said Butch. "He's been throwing a fit ever since he picked up the phone."

"I know that," said Brick. "It's not my fault. It's yours and Boomer's. I never wanted to do this."

"Oh, I wouldn't be to sure about that, bro," said Butch.

"Butch, go away!" roared Brick, two beams shooting from his eyes, aiming at his brother. Butch laughed as he ran out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

Brick fell back against the wall, seething angrily. Why did he have to have such pain-in-the-neck brothers? He pounded his fist on the wall as he shut off the water.

* * *

Blossom stared into Buttercup's closet, which was her 'quarters'. Buttercup had a lot of different dresses, but they were all so…dark.

"Uh, Buttercup, don't you have anything that's _not _gothic?" Blossom asked.

Buttercup thought for a moment. "Hmm…nope," she said. "But so what? This is the kind of stuff that makes you look cool."

"Buttercup, I can't wear any of this," protested Blossom.

"Just try one on," said Buttercup. "It's not gonna kill you."

Blossom sighed. She reluctantly took out the simplest dress she saw. It was a black spaghetti strap dress that came a little above the knees. Blossom gulped. "All right, I'll try it, but this is under protest." Her spine tingled as she headed for the bathroom to try it on. She past Bubbles, who was waiting outside Buttercup's room.

"Blossom, what is _that?_" Bubbles spluttered when she saw the dress.

"It was Buttercup's idea, not mine," said Blossom as she shut the bathroom door with a bang.

Bubbles glared at Buttercup. "Blossom can't wear something like that," she protested.

"Why not?" said Buttercup. "It's no worse than the stuff you've got."

"Ha ha, very funny," snorted Bubbles. "At least _my_ clothes aren't so skimpy."

"So sue me," said Buttercup. "Hey, Blossom, what's keeping ya?"

Blossom came out of the bathroom, looking disgusted. "Thanks for the offer, Buttercup, but I am not wearing this," she said, handing the dress back to Buttercup. "I'm going to wear one of my own."

"Fine, whatever," said Buttercup. "What have you got?"

"I've got something," said Blossom. "Just give me a minute."

She headed for her room. Bubbles and Buttercup followed, curious. Blossom opened her closet and started to go through the few dresses she had. She didn't really like to wear dresses, which was why she didn't have a lot. However, there was one that she did have, one that she liked to wear on special occasions.

Blossom beckoned her sisters to come to her closet. "Well, what do you think?" she asked.

Bubbles' eyebrows rose. "Ooh, I like it," she said.

Buttercup smiled. "I have to admit, you've got good taste, Blossom," she said.

Bubbles looked at the clock on Blossom's table. "Let's get you set," she said. "Brick will be here soon."

* * *

Brick felt sick to his stomach as he stared at himself in the mirror. He didn't know if it was from nausea, or from the dozens of butterflies that were flying around in his gut. He didn't even know _why_ he felt like this. It couldn't have been from the way he was dressed. He was wearing a red t-shirt with a black jacket pulled over it, along with his black pants and sneakers. He normally had his hair back in a low ponytail, but now he was just letting it hang beneath his red cap.

Brick shook his head. "Grr! Good grief, Brick, get a hold of yourself. It's just a stupid dare."

But deep down, he knew it wasn't.

"Knock, knock!" yelled Boomer's voice, making Brick jump. "How's the lovebird doing this evening?"

"Shut UP, Boomer!" Brock snapped.

"Ooh, a bit touchy, are we?" sneered Butch as he came in.

"Look, I'm only doing this just to get you two off my back," snarled Brick. "Nothing more. Is that clear?"

"Crystal, bro," said Boomer.

"Good. Now scram," said Brick.

"Sure thing, Brick," said Butch as he and Boomer left. "Break a leg!"

"It's _your_ legs I'll be breaking when I get back!" yelled Brick.

He took a deep breath, calming himself down. Then went to his dresser, pulling out the top drawer. He looked back at the door, making sure that his brothers were gone before he rummaged through his clothes. Underneath them was a small box. Brick opened it and examined its contents. He nodded before swiftly placing the box inside his jacket.

Brick went to the window. He looked back one more time. He was all alone. Perfect.

Brick flew out the window and over the city of Townsville towards the Powerpuff Girls' house. The sun was beginning to go down. Brick looked up at the sky. "God," he said, "I've never prayed once in my life, but please don't let me screw up tonight."


	6. The Painful Truth

Bubbles flew up the stairs in a blue beam of light. She looked terribly excited as she rounded the corner and almost crashed into Buttercup.

"Geez, watch it!" Buttercup snapped. "What's your hurry?"

"He's here!" Bubbles hissed. "Brick is here!"

Buttercup nodded. "Okay, then," she said. "I'll get the door. You go get Blossom."

Bubbles hesitated for a second. "Um, you're not going to do anything to Brick, are you?"

"What?" said Buttercup, pretending to be shocked. "ME? Of course not. I'm just going to have a few words with him, that's all."

"Watch yourself, Buttercup," Bubbles warned severely.

"Yeah, yeah," Buttercup muttered as she headed down the stairs. A knocking sound came from the door. "Coming, coming," Buttercup called.

Brick glared at Buttercup as she opened the door. "Oh, it's you," he said. "Where's Blossom?"

"She'll be down in a minute," said Buttercup roughly. "Where're your dopey brothers? Didn't they come with you?"

"No way, stupid," snapped Brick. "Nothing could've made me bring them along. Why'd you ask?"

"Just checking," said Buttercup, her green eyes burning.

Just then, as if on cue, Bubbles flew up to the door. "Presenting," she announced with a sweep of her hand, "Blossom of the Powerpuff Girls!"

Brick looked up as Bubbles moved aside. All he could do right then was stand and stare in complete shock.

Blossom looked absolutely beautiful. She was wearing a sleeveless neck-collar purple dress with twinkling gold speckles and black shoes. A gold bracelet hung on her wrist, and gold earrings hung in her ears. The top layer of her hair was brought back with her red ribbon, and the rest of her hair flowed down her back.

"Hi, Brick," she said softly.

Brick couldn't speak, and his brain was screaming at him because of it. _What's the matter with you, idiot!_ it said. _Say something! NOW!_

"Um, hey, Blossom," he stuttered. "You look…really nice."

Blossom smiled a little. "Thanks," she said.

"Well, don't just stand there," Bubbles whispered in Blossom's ear. "Go on."

Blossom hugged Bubbles and Buttercup. "Thanks so much, girls," she said.

Buttercup glared at Brick as she leaned over to Blossom's ear. "Be careful, sis," she whispered. "If that jerk gets out of line, whip him good!"

"I heard that," snapped Brick. "And just so you two know, I was even thinking about doing anything like that."

"Good," muttered Buttercup.

Blossom stepped out onto the porch. "Well, shall we go?" she asked Brick.

Brick blushed a little. "Um, yeah, sure," he said.

Blossom waved goodbye to her sisters as she and Brick walked away. When the house was out of sight, Blossom looked at Brick. "So, um, where are we going?" she asked.

Brick felt sick again, but he ignored it. "Well, um, wanna…you know, go for a walk on the beach?" he asked. _What?_ his brain yelled. _That's the best you can come up with? NOW what's she gonna think?_

But to Brick's surprise, Blossom smiled. "Sure," she said. "I'd like that."

Brick stared at her. "You would?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Blossom asked.

Brick blushed. "Oh, um, no reason," he said. "Let's go."

Blossom lifted up in the air, Brick doing the same. Without a second thought, he took her hand, even though his palms were sweaty. It only took a few minutes for them to fly to Townville's beach.

The air was fresh with the smell of salty water. Blossom breathed deeply as she dug the tip of her shoe into the sand. "I always liked the ocean," she said. "It's so peaceful."

Brick nodded. "I know," he said quietly. "That's why I come out here a lot."

Blossom looked at Brick. "Really?" she asked. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, well, it's sort of a getaway for me," said Brick. "I usually come after school."

Blossom frowned. "Getaway?" she said. "From what?"

"My brothers, for one thing," said Brick bitterly. "Sometimes I just get so sick of them. And Mojo Jojo's a total nag most of the time. He didn't say anything, but I don't think he really wanted me to go out with you."

"I don't find that at all surprising," said Blossom. "Mojo's such a jerk." Blossom put her hand to her mouth. "Oh my, um, I didn't mean—"

"No, it's okay," said Brick. "I agree with you. It's not like people don't know that Mojo's a total dork."

Blossom smiled. "All those brains and not a shred of smarts," she said.

Brick and Blossom started laughing as the walked along the sandy shore. "Hey, Blossom," said Brick. "Follow me."

"Where to?" asked Blossom.

"My secret place," said Brick. "Um, I've never shown it to anybody, not even Boomer and Butch. But I wanted to show it to you."

"Oh, okay," said Blossom. "Where is it?"

Brick led Blossom down a sand covered path to a towering mountain of ocean rocks. The tide lapped back and forth as Blossom followed Brick up a stone staircase that was hidden by tall sand dunes. They climbed through a short tunnel, soon coming to a cleared section in the rocks that was flat and surrounded by walls of stone.

"Wow, Brick, this is incredible!" said Blossom in awe as she looked out from the rocks. "You have quite a view from up here."

"Yeah, it's pretty cool," said Brick as he leaned against the cool rock. "I found this place a few months ago. It's not easy to spot from the ground."

"Then how did you find it?" asked Blossom.

Brick smiled at her. "Sorry, that's classified information," he teased.

Blossom playfully punched his shoulder. "Oh, yeah, I'm _sure_," she teased back.

A cool breeze blew in from the ocean. Blossom shivered slightly. "Wow, it sure got cold quickly," she said sheepishly.

Brick looked at Blossom, who was rubbing her arms. He took of his jacket and placed it around her shoulders. She looked at him. "Brick, no, I couldn't," she said.

"Don't be a dope," said Brick with a grin. "Besides, I'll be fine. I like the cold air."

Brick felt a lump in his pocket. He suddenly remembered. "Um, Blossom?" he said slowly.

"Yeah?"

Brick reached into his pocket, pulling out the small box he had taken from his dresser. He handed it to Blossom. "Um, here. I wanted you to have this," he said, blushing deeply.

Blossom looked at the box, slowly taking it. "Brick, what's this?" she asked, slowly lifting the lid. She gasped.

Inside was a small, pink colored rock almost shaped like a flower, latched to a gold chain. Blossom was speechless. When her tongue could work, all she could say was, "Brick, what—?"

"I found it here the other day," said Brick. "It…kind of reminded me of you. I put a chain on it so you'd be able to wear it."

Blossom held the stone in her palm. "Brick…" she whispered. "…Thank you."

Brick took the stone from Blossom. He pushed her hair out of the way and latched the chain behind her neck. "How's it feel?" he asked.

"Fine," said Blossom quietly. Brick noticed that she looked a little down. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Blossom looked out towards the horizon. The sun was beginning to go down. "Brick, can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Sure," said Brick. "What's up?"

Blossom sighed. "I'm sorry," she said.

Brick stared at her. "Huh? What are you sorry for?"

"I have to admit, I was a little uneasy about going out with you," Blossom said quietly. "When I saw you and your brothers again at our school, well…I guess I thought it was going to be like it was in the past. You know, with my sisters and I fighting you guys. But I feel now that it was wrong of me to think that, at least on your part. I just wanted to apologize, that's all."

Brick bit his lip. The sick feeling came back at full force. Blossom actually thought that he was nice! No one had ever thought that way about him before. He felt terrible. He had wanted to go out with Blossom, but he had only done it now because his brothers dared him to! Boomer and Butch would never let him live it done if he didn't do it!

_Why did I give in?_ he thought. _Why did I do this for their benefit? Blossom's actually seeing me as a person, not an enemy. And I totally like it! How could I be such an idiot?_

Brick swallowed deeply. He had to tell Blossom. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if she didn't know the truth.

"Blossom…" Brick mumbled.

"Hmm?" said Blossom.

Brick looked down. "I have something to tell you," he said. "It…it wasn't my idea to ask you out."

Blossom looked at Brick, confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Brick's cheeks began to burn. "Boomer and Butch dared me to ask you out," he said. "I only took their dare just to get them off my back. I didn't want you to know 'cause I didn't want to hurt your feelings. But…I couldn't take it anymore. I need to say something."

Blossom stared at Brick, her eyes growing. "You mean…you only went out with me because your brothers dared you to?" she asked, shocked.

Brick shook his head rapidly. "No! That's what I wanted _them_ to think. I really wanted to—"

"I can't believe this!" Blossom spat out. "You mean to tell me this was all some stupid dare?"

"That's not it!" insisted Brick. "Will you let me explain?"

But Blossom was too angry to even care what Brick had to say. She threw off his coat, jumped out of the rocks and flew away in a pink beam of light. Brick shot after her, catching her before she had even left the beach. He held onto her tightly. "Blossom, please let me explain!" he cried.

"Let go of me!" Blossom demanded, squirming crazily.

Brick spun her around to face him. "Blossom, really!" he insisted. "This date had nothing to do with my brothers!"

Tears began to spill down Blossom's face. "I thought you were different than that, Brick!" she sobbed. She stopped squirming and just stood in the sand, looking down in disappointment. "I thought you were different than that…"

Brick looked at Blossom in despair as she stood there and cried. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. "Blossom, I'm sorry," he said miserably. "I went out with you because I wanted to. I've missed you…"

Blossom buried her face in Brick's shoulder. "Brick, I…I…" she stuttered.

**BOOM!**

The explosion rattled the ground. Brick clutched onto Blossom. "What was that!" he yelled.

Blossom looked up into the city. She saw a tall robot stomping around the buildings, setting everything in its path on fire. A black and green monkey with a blue cape and a tall helmet sat in the glass dome on top of its head.

"Oh my gosh," cried Blossom. "It's Mojo Jojo!"


	7. Mojo Comes to Call

"That stupid monkey!" Brick said angrily. "What the heck does he think he's doing!"

"I don't know," said Blossom. "But I've got to stop him!"

Before Blossom could even move, a yelp of pain interrupted them. "Ow! You stepped on my foot, idiot!"

Another voice replied, "Shut up, you dolt! They'll hear us!"

"What was that?" Blossom wondered.

Brick's face went red. He looked at Blossom. "Wait here," he said.

"But—" Blossom started, but Brick was already heading for the bushes. He reached in with strong arms and pulled out two boys, throwing them out onto the sand. Blossom gasped when she saw that it was Boomer and Butch.

Brick was furious. "WHAT ARE YOU TWO JERKHEADS DOING HERE?" he roared at them.

"It wasn't MY idea!" Boomer spat out. "It was Butch's!"

"Shut your mouth, Boomer!" snapped Butch. "It was just as much yours as it was mine!"

"THAT'S IT!" Brick yelled. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF BOTH OF YOU!"

Blossom just stood and stared as Brick started chasing his brothers down the beach. That's when she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw two blue and green beams flying around the giant robot that was still rampaging through Townsville.

Blossom looked back at the Rowdyruff Boys, who were now in a cloud of sand, kicking, punching, and screaming at each other. Blossom was fed up. She planted her feet on the ground and took a deep breath.

"WILL THE THREE OF YOU JUST _SHUT UP_!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

The boys suddenly stopped. Blossom glared at them. "You boys haven't changed a bit when it comes to yourselves!" she snapped. "Right now your guardian is wrecking havoc on Townsville. The least you could do is stop acting like savages and stop him! That's what my sisters are doing right now, and I'm going to do the same. You're welcome to join me when you start acting like adults and not two-year-olds!"

With that, Blossom flew off without another word.

Boomer and Butch were speechless. Brick wasn't just speechless, he was very impressed. After a few seconds, he smiled.

Butch finally found his voice. "Who does she think she is, talking to us like that!" he said. "I oughtta—!"

Brick smacked Butch on the head. "Shut up!" he snapped. "She's right, and you know it! Now stop sitting like rotting logs and let's go!"

* * *

"What's ruffled your fur, Mojo?" Buttercup asked as she missed one of the robot's lasers.

"Yeah!" Bubbles added. "You've been acting real good lately. Why so mean all of a sudden?"

Mojo Jojo glared at them, his eyes burning. "I am not interested in you two," he said. "Where is Blossom?"

"Out on a date," said Buttercup. "What's it to ya?"

"Where is she?" Mojo Jojo snarled. "I demand to know the whereabouts of your sister!"

"I'm right here, Mojo!"

Bubbles and Buttercup were surprised. "Blossom!" exclaimed Bubbles. "What are you doing here?"

"Assisting my sisters," said Blossom. "You didn't think I was going to abandon you, did you?"

Mojo Jojo glared at Blossom. "You should be proud, Blossom," he sneered. "You're the reason I'm attacking the city."

"What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Blossom.

"It means that because you dated my son, I have become full of anger and hate, so I took it out on Townsville. Ha, ha, ha!"

"What a stupid reason!" said Buttercup.

"That reminds me," said Mojo Jojo. "Where is that traitorous Brick?"

"Don't know, and right now I don't really care," snapped Blossom. "Forget him. This battle's between you and us!"

Fierce beams of energy flew from Blossom's eyes, aiming straight for Mojo Jojo's glass dome. It exploded, leaving him in a cloud of smoke.

"Good shot, Blossom," said Buttercup. "Now it's my turn!"

Buttercup flew straight at the robot, flying right through it and ripping out half of its robotic guts. She spun back around, kicking the robot hard. It tethered for a second, but came back on its feet.

"No fair, Buttercup!" whined Bubbles. "You got to strike twice!"

"Oh, shut up and have your turn," ordered Buttercup.

Bubbles swooped downward towards one of the city's trees. "Please forgive me," she said as she ripped the tree from its roots. She took a swing at the robot, sending it flying into on of the buildings.

By now the smoke had cleared, and Mojo Jojo was covered from head to toe in dust and glass.

The girls were doubled over, laughing. Mojo Jojo was furious. "You girls have not beaten me yet!" he screamed, aiming the robot's laser in the air. He blasted.

"What's left for you to do, Mojo?" Blossom asked innocently.

"Blossom! Look out!" Bubbles and Buttercup screamed.

Blossom looked up. She saw that Mojo Jojo had aimed for one of the stone gargoyles on the building above her. It had tethered and was falling fast, right towards her!

Blossom's brain screamed at her to move, to fly out of the way, to blast the gargoyle to smithereens, to do _something_, but somehow she was frozen. All she could do at the moment was stare at the stone that was coming at her fast and scream her lungs out.

All of a sudden, Brick came flying at Blossom, pushing her out of the way as the gargoyle missed them by inches.

"You are such a dope sometimes, you know that?" said Brick. "Even when you're about to get hurt, you don't even care."

Blossom stared at Brick. "You came," she said.

"Of course I did," said Brick. "I couldn't let you have all the fun."

Blossom smiled. She lunged at Brick and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she said.

Brick blushed. "No problem," he said.

"Hey! Are you two gonna keep hugging or are you gonna fight?" Butch yelled.

"Shut up, Butch!" Brick yelled back.

"Brick!" Mojo Jojo screamed. "You are a Rowdyruff Boy! How dare you romance with the enemy!"

"Yeah, yeah, WHATEVER," Brick said angrily.

Mojo Jojo wasn't finished. "How could you do such a thing, Brick?" he demanded. "How could you betray me? I am your creator, not to mention your guardian!"

"I'm almost seventeen years old," snarled Brick. "It's my business whom I go out with, not yours! Besides, it was Boomer and Butch's idea."

Blossom gave Brick an icy glare, while Boomer and Butch were attempting to sneak away. But Bubbles and Buttercup prevented them from going anywhere. Blossom finished glaring at Brick and took a deep breath.

"Mojo," she said, "get off of Brick's back."

Everyone, including Mojo Jojo, was silent. Blossom took another breath. "You're right about you being Brick's creator and guardian, but Brick's not a little kid anymore, though he may act like one. He's coming to the point where he can make his own decisions, and if you don't like it, too bad. Brick is a person, not your slave!"

Brick couldn't help but smile. Bubbles and Buttercup were shocked. Boomer and Butch were even more shocked. As for Mojo Jojo, he was just plain mad.

"I don't need a smart-aleck girl like you to tell me what I can and can't do about my son!" he snarled. "For that, you shall die!"

"NO!" yelled Brick, charging at the robot. He went into a flurry of punches and shattered the contraption completely. Blossom took another deep breath, and with effort, she released her powerful ice breath, freezing the broken robot over.

"I hate the Powerpuff Girls," Mojo Jojo muttered from inside the ice.

* * *

After the police took Mojo Jojo away, Brick was contemplating with himself on whether or not to approach Blossom. He was somewhat afraid that she was still mad at him. But he wasn't going to be a chicken, so with caution, he flew up to her, seeing as how his brothers were busy talking, or rather arguing, with Blossom's sisters.

"Hey, Blossom," he said quietly.

"Hey, Brick," Blossom said in an equal tone.

Both were silent for a few minutes. Then Blossom cleared her throat. "So…I guess our date is over?" she asked.

Brick chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I guess so," he said. "Blossom?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for sticking up for me. That was…cool."

Blossom looked at him. "You're thanking me? I should be thanking you for getting out of the way of that gargoyle. I don't get what happened to me. I just froze there like a total idiot and I didn't even move to—"

Brick reached forward, pulling Blossom towards him, making her stop. "Shut up, Blossom," Brick said as he pressed his lips against hers.

For a moment, Blossom didn't know what to think as Brick hovered there, kissing her. But then, she felt her heart soften with soothing warmth. She wrapped her arms around Brick's neck and kissed back.

Buttercup's jaw hung open, while Bubbles was crying happy tears. As for Boomer and Butch…well…

"I did NOT expect that to happen," Boomer croaked.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," moaned Butch, right before Buttercup smacked him on the head.

"Shut up, dork," she snapped. "Let 'em pucker up."

"I love happy endings," sighed Bubbles through her tears.

"Now you're making ME sick," whined Boomer.

"You have no sense of emotion," complained Bubbles.

"I'm having one right now," snapped Boomer. "And that's the verge of throwing up."

"That's not what she means, dimwit," put in Buttercup.

"Don't call my brother names!" snarled Butch.

"Why not?" Buttercup snarled back. "You call him names all the time—!"

Brick and Blossom had come out of their kiss. They looked over at their siblings, who by now were close to yelling the city's ears out.

Brick and Blossom smiled at each other, then flew over to break it up.


End file.
